Moist Carrot Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to refrigerate carrot cake with cream cheese frosting? ›

Due to the cream cheese in the frosting which has a high moisture content, this cake needs to be refrigerated. The good news is that since the cake layers are made with oil (not butter), they will remain soft even when cold. Cover the cake well and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

With its mellow carrot sweetness, warm notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, and rich, tangy frosting, carrot cake is simply irresistible. This traditional carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is one of our favorites.

If you're baking a cake with cream cheese frosting, it's best to frost the entire cake and dish it up immediately, or leave it in the fridge until you're ready to serve it.

Your cake is too dense A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).

Carrot cake is oil-based, rather than butter-based. This keeps it moist and helps it last for days. Unfortunately, it also means you lose the leavening power that creaming butter and sugar would bring. (Creaming, or beating together the two ingredients on high speed, aerates the butter.)

If yours is too runny, you've probably got too high a proportion of butter and/or milk. I don't want to say you've got too little sugar, because although this may be the case, if what you're going for is a less sweet frosting adding sugar would be kind of contradictory.

Powdered Sugar Magic: One of the most common ways to thicken frosting is by adding more powdered sugar. Start by incorporating small amounts until you achieve the perfect consistency. This method works well with cream cheese frosting, buttercream frosting, and other basic recipes.

No lumps in cream cheese.

While you can over-whip the frosting after you add the heavy cream, you cannot over-mix the 1st 3 ingredients in the recipe. Beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract together for as long as you need to rid all of the cream cheese lumps.

How to make store-bought cream cheese frosting more fluffy? ›

Whip it good.

Canned frosting has a tendency to be on the denser side, but the solution to this textural dilemma is simple. Dump your canned frosting into a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or into the bowl of an electric mixer and whip it up.

You can give store-bought frosting a fluffier texture by mixing in heavy whipping cream. Just add a tablespoon at a time until it's your desired consistency. Or fold in fresh homemade whipped cream for a rich flavor and a lighter, airy texture; try using equal parts frosting and cream.

An equal ratio of butter to cream cheese yields a super smooth, spreadable frosting, while still maintaining the distinctive tangy flavor.

So there's your answer. You can leave a cake with cream cheese frosting out over night–the sugar will help preserve it–but if your kitchen is too hot, don't take the risk. Stick it in the fridge!

You can leave a cake with cream cheese frosting out over night–the sugar will help preserve it–but if your kitchen is too hot, don't take the risk. Stick it in the fridge!

How long can cake sit out unrefrigerated? If your cake is frosted with buttercream, it will last covered at room temperature for up to four days. However, it is best to refrigerate cakes with other frostings such as cream cheese or ganache. A fully covered unfrosted cake will last for up to 2 days at room temperature.

Most types of frosting, including buttercream frosting, don't technically have to be refrigerated right away, so storing extra frosting at room temperature is a great option if you plan on using it within the next day or so.